Removal of Smith&Wesson sideplate?

Malumute- Again thanks for the weath of information. I'm gonna do some dry firing today and maybe some light shooting. 50 rounds or so. And see if i can't become a threat at 35 yards.

If by chance the firing pin does go bad during the dry firing period are they easy to replace. They looked rivited in place. Has anyone ever had to replace one of these?

I figured 38's were to small for deer but i figured i'd ask. Now you said use this for small game and the only small game abudance here in MI is squirrels and rabits which would blow those things away wouldn't it we also have the occasional woodchuck and coyote but being that turkey season is apon us i don't know if the local DNR would believe that i was just varmit hunting during turkey season. Might have to check out the laws on that.

For deer the reason i bought this gun was it was easy to hold steady for me and i wanted a light secondary gun in the stand so if a doe did present herself close i could then take my first deer with a pistol. But your right for the 100 yard mark i would be better sereved with a 44 or heck a 454/480 setup but i don't need a dinasour gun just a deer gun.

Thanks for you help. I'll post back if it stops raining enough for me to go out and shoot today. WERE SUPPOSED TO GET SNOW TONIGHT! In the lower up geez just when you think winter has finally giving up.
 
Actually, 38 spl loads are good small game loads when used with plain lead bullets, either wadcutters or semi-wadcutters. They punch clean holes through small game without "blowing them up" like hollow points do. I would however use hollow points for coyote or woodchuck size game. 38 spl's should be good for them also.

38's would be good turkey getters too.
 
Smith & Wessons made before the current L-shaped hammer block was installed near the end of WW II DID have hammer block safeties that were designed to keep the gun from firing if it was dropped on the hammer.

However, its design was such that it could be rendered ineffective by dirt, caked grease, etc., and still leave the gun capable of being fired.

The new hammer block, which is operated by a stud on the rebound slide, will prevent the action from operating if it is not able to freely move.

There were actually 2 separate types of hammer blocks in the earlier guns, one actuated by the movement of the hand, and the other actuated by the movement of the hammer.

My circa-1917 Regulation police has the one actuated by the hand, and IIRC my 1930s Model of 1917 Brazilian has the one actuated by the hammer.
 
Lookie what I just found!

Pictures!

Not a great picture, but it shows the old-style hammer block and the pin in my Regulation police. This pin bears on the hand. At rest, the pin rests in a recess, allowing the hammer block to function. As the action is cocked, the hand pushes the pin back into the sideplate, withdrawing the hammer block. If the sideplate is very dirty, the pin may be stuck in the rearward position, interfering with the proper function of the hammer block and allowing the hand to fall out of engagement with the cylinder, leading to function problems.

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This one is a picture of the hand. You can see the scallop in which the pin rests. When the pin is in the scallop, the hammer block is supposedly blocking the hammer in case the gun is dropped.

You can see how it would take only a little caked grease or dirt to render this system completely ineffective.

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Range report

Okay today wasn't the best day for a accuracy testing of my shooting ability but i went out to see if i'm confident with this gun for deer and small game at closer ranges and if i remember to follow the steps. Cock the hammer, take a firm grip, keep forearms and biceps stiff but not tight, align sights properly and squeeze the trigger....(all of which probably takes 10 seconds for a accurate shot) and i'm a pretty good shot. At 15 yards a deer or rabit is as dead as a door nail as i can shoot a 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 inch group. Steep back to 25 yards and i do it right i can keep it to about a 4 1/2 inch group, at 40 yards most of my shots were within a 5 inch group when i tailored my sights a bit and had 4 flyers out of 12 shots BUT they didn't go no further that ohh i would say about 7 1/2 inch group as i was shooting at printer paper and all shots had about a two to two and a half inch border around the paper that none of them crossed. So if a deers vitals are a 10 to 12 inch circle i believe i have hunting accuracy even with my flyers correct? I will not settle for this type of accuracy for hunting as i will strive and do better but beings that i only shot maybe 250 rounds through this gun i must say i'm making good head way right?

Just for fun i set up a 12 inch tall by 4 inch wide fireplace log and took aim at fifty yards and squeezed on off at i hit that sucker where i was aiming except a 1 1/2 to the left. I have a hard time centering that big orange dot between the ears but i'm getting used to it? Tell me what you guys think of my accurcy rating. THis is out of a 357 mag with adjustable sights and a 6 inch barrel.

I feel pretty good that if i did it right a deer would be dead at 40 yards and Malumute said that thats about the max range for a good hard hitting kill shot with this gun.

Mike Irwin-Those are pictures of the really old models right? My 19 doesn't have that setup with the hammer block pin.
 
Thanks Mike, I had forgotten the particulars of the early models. It's been a long time since I've had one apart. I do recall thinking that the new system was better when I saw the early type.

Deerinator, sounds like you are on the right track. Keep practicing and get to where you can make those good hits in less time, and before you know it, it wll be deer season.
 
I have been having a think about why I remove the hammer block safety and searching for a rational explanation. All I can put it down to is my early learning about revolvers. I learnt a lot about revolver shooting from an old Victorian Police Sergeant (that's as in Victoria the State, not as in Victorian the Era - close though.) He said 'they're not necessary and can only cause trouble-throwthem away'. I took him at his word. Maybe it's a bit like the present discomfort with the new Smith locks?
Here's a pic of my collection of HBS's - at least I haven't thrown them all out like my mentor did.
 

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The hammer is also blocked from forward travel if the trigger is not all the way to the rear by the rebound assembly. Look inside your Smith and you will see that, at rest, the bottom of the hammer is resting on a shelf on the top of the trigger rebound slide. The problem is, if the hammer is struck a severe blow, the parts can shear off allowing the hammer to go forward. Also, though rare, the hammer pivot pin can shear allowing the hammer to ride up and over the rebound slide. Trivia, I know. Alot of people felt that the hammer block safety caused unecessary drag in its channel in the side plate and "ruined" the trigger pull. In reality, its so loose in its channel and weighs so little, any change in trigger pull weight or feel is liklely imperceptible. I usually polish up the sides of the hammer block a little before reinstalling it if I'm in there cleaning up the action anyway.
 
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